They Want You

Do you consider the idea that your clients want you to help them solve problems? They want you to reach out and find out about their needs. However, We think that our clients are happy with what we’ve done for them. I’m sure they are. And, they’d like to do more business with you. Are you doing as much for your clients as you could be? Do you know the answer to that question? Most of us sell something to our clients and then move on to the next prospect. We proceed under some interesting beliefs – many of which aren’t true. 1. We believe our clients know what we do and will reach out to us when they have that need. Not necessarily. Just because you have a website or tell your client all that you do, doesn’t mean that they know it. Clients pay attention to what they need at the time. They don’t hear you tell them everything you do. Moreover, they aren’t necessarily going to go to your website to find out. 2. We believe we need to hunt all the time for new business. Guess what? There’s new business to be had right in your current client base. You definitely need a strong foundation of clients so you aren’t putting all your eggs in one basket. At the same time you should be penetrating your current clients. There’s business to be had there – more than your initial sale. 3. We think our clients want to maintain a broader vendor base. While it may be true that companies like to spread out their spend to reduce their vulnerability, it is also true that they like to do business with current vendors. Look at it this way – you spent time prospecting to your current clients, getting to know them and building the relationship. They already know, like, and trust you. They are busy and juggling a lot of issues. They are more likely to be open to working with a known entity than to looking for a new solution provider. That doesn’t mean they are going to reach out to you. It is your responsibility to partner with them; to have conversations with them to unearth their needs. Your clients want you to be interested in helping them solve problems. They want you to show interest in them. They want to know that you value them and are interested in helping them succeed. When you take the initiative to partner with your clients you are telling them that you value them beyond the initial sale. You are building a relationship for the long term. We succeed in our businesses when we work to maintain our clients for years to come. Just as our clients go through changes, those relationships go through changes. If we aren’t there, talking with them, finding out what’s going on with them, someone else will be. We run the risk of losing, not only new business but the current work we are doing for them. Starting today, take a look at your client records. What do you do for your clients? How well do you know them and their needs? How well do they know what solutions you offer? Once you have your answers, set out to go deeper with your current client base. Your business will be stronger for it.